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Dr. Thomas Turner (Regents' Professor and Curator of Fishes)
Email: [email protected] Tom's Researchgate and Scholar profile I study evolution and ecology of aquatic species, populations, and communities. I use theory, stable isotopes, genomes, museum resources and experiments to ask questions about the impacts of life history variation, disturbance, climate and land-use changes, and phylogenetic and geological history on biodiversity. I am also interested in the intersection of science and policy in endangered species conservation. I serve on the Independent Scientific Review Panel for the Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Program and on the Executive Committee of the Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Act Collaborative Program. I am Director of the Museum Research Traineeship (MRT) graduate training program that focuses on interdisciplinary education, research, and team science. I like big fish! |
Affiliated Scientists
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Dr. Megan Osborne (Research Professor)
Email: [email protected] Megan's web site and Scholar profile I am an evolutionary biologist with expertise in conservation and population genetics, systematics and phylogeography across a broad suite of taxa including fishes, marsupials, birds, amphibians and reptiles. I use empirical genetic data to understand how geological and contemporary processes act to shape how species and their genetic legacy are distributed in space and time. For the past 20 years, I have worked in the arid and semi-arid regions of the American Southwest on population genetics and phylogeography of freshwater fishes of the Rio Grande, Colorado River and Canadian River basins. Current research projects include using parentage analysis to understand the reproductive ecology of Bonytail, long-term genetic monitoring of the Rio Grande silvery minnow and comparative population genomics of Pecos and Canadian River fishes. |
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Dr. Guilherme Caiero Dias (Research Assistant Professor)
Email: [email protected] Guilherme's Scholar Profile I am interested in population and conservation genetics and evolution of speciation. I use population genetics and phylogenetic reconstructions to study the evolutionary relationships and distribution of genetic variation. I finished my PhD on Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution, a joint degree from Faculty of Sciences of University of Porto and Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon, Portugal. During my PhD I used niche modeling and analysis of hybrid zones in a complex of lizard species to study processes involved in barriers against gene flow and the genomic build-up of reproductive isolation. My PhD work was based on genomic data produced with Next Generation sequencing techniques and analyzed through the most recent bioinformatics resources. |
Graduate Students
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Irvin Arroyo-Torres (PhD Student and MRT Fellow, co-mentored with S. Brant)
Email: [email protected] Irvin's Researchgate profile I received my B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology at University of New Mexico. I’m interested in how community interactions respond to environmental and ecological changes over time. My previous work focused on the effects of climate change on the size, diet, and parasites of Western Diamond-Backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox). My current research investigates the influence of invasive fishes on the diet and parasites of Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes (Thamnophis elegans), Black-Necked Garter Snakes (Thamnophis cyrtopsis), and Narrow-Headed Garter Snakes (Thamnophis rufipunctatus). |
Patrick Baca (MS student and MRT fellow)
Email: [email protected]
I received my B.S. in evolutionary anthropology from the University of New Mexico, where my research focused primarily on human behavioral ecology. My research interests lie at the intersection of biology and anthropology, examining the complex interactions between humans and the environment. Currently, my research investigates anthropogenic impacts on fisheries and freshwater systems, specifically, examining the effects of human habitat modification on the population genetics of the Loach Minnow in the Gila River complex.
Patrick Baca (MS student and MRT fellow)
Email: [email protected]
I received my B.S. in evolutionary anthropology from the University of New Mexico, where my research focused primarily on human behavioral ecology. My research interests lie at the intersection of biology and anthropology, examining the complex interactions between humans and the environment. Currently, my research investigates anthropogenic impacts on fisheries and freshwater systems, specifically, examining the effects of human habitat modification on the population genetics of the Loach Minnow in the Gila River complex.
Katelyn Driscoll (PhD Candidate)
Email: [email protected]
Katey's Scholar profile
I received my BS in Biology and a Spanish minor from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA in 2010 and earned my MS in Systems Ecology from the University of Montana in 2015. I currently work as a Research Ecologist for the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station while pursuing my PhD at the University of New Mexico. I am interested in how the structure and function of riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems are impacted at large scales by restoration and interacting disturbances. I use diverse tools including field work, modeling, and remote sensing techniques to understand these topics.
Email: [email protected]
Katey's Scholar profile
I received my BS in Biology and a Spanish minor from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA in 2010 and earned my MS in Systems Ecology from the University of Montana in 2015. I currently work as a Research Ecologist for the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station while pursuing my PhD at the University of New Mexico. I am interested in how the structure and function of riparian, aquatic, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems are impacted at large scales by restoration and interacting disturbances. I use diverse tools including field work, modeling, and remote sensing techniques to understand these topics.
Erika Dunn (MS Student)
Email: [email protected]
I study native fish and population genetics in the desert southwest. I am interested in how genetic resilience can be achieved in the face of altered river ecosystems due to fragmentation, drought, competition, and a changing climate. I also work in the Museum of Southwest Biology Division of Fishes, assisting the collections manager with cataloguing and maintaining the robust collection of fishes used for research at and beyond UNM.
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Eliza Gilbert (PhD Candidate)
Email: [email protected] Eliza's Scholar Profile I am a rare species conservation biologist employed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. During my nearly 20 years as a biologist, I have worked with herpetofauna and fishes in both marine and freshwater ecosystems. I am interested in applying concepts and methodologies from complexity science, such as the investigation of multi-dimensional and self-organized systems, to improve policy and management of rare species and their ecosystems. More specifically, I am interested in using nonlinear dynamics, time series analysis, and agent-based modeling to identify or infer causal networks between habitat and fish recruitment. |
Laurel Martinez (MS candidate and MRT fellow)
Email: [email protected]
I received my B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Plant Biology at the University of Vermont and have worked on riparian research projects in the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station. My research interests include plant community ecology, riparian ecology, and restoration ecology. Specifically, I want to explore how riparian plant communities respond to restoration and disturbance.
Email: [email protected]
I received my B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Plant Biology at the University of Vermont and have worked on riparian research projects in the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station. My research interests include plant community ecology, riparian ecology, and restoration ecology. Specifically, I want to explore how riparian plant communities respond to restoration and disturbance.
Ashley Willis Mascareñas (PhD student and MRT Fellow)
Email: [email protected]
I earned my undergraduate degree in biology with a concentration in ecology, evolution, and organismal biology at the University of New Mexico. As an undergraduate, I worked in the Museum of Southwestern Biology in the Division of Fishes. I also served as a Water Resource Management fellow and worked with the American Southwest Ichthyological Researchers; a group dedicated to fish conservation. As a Ph.D. student at UNM, I am focused on using museum collections to study how freshwater fish respond to changes in their habitats and how these responses vary across time and space. This research centers on desert rivers of the Southwest and the fish species that inhabit them.
Email: [email protected]
I earned my undergraduate degree in biology with a concentration in ecology, evolution, and organismal biology at the University of New Mexico. As an undergraduate, I worked in the Museum of Southwestern Biology in the Division of Fishes. I also served as a Water Resource Management fellow and worked with the American Southwest Ichthyological Researchers; a group dedicated to fish conservation. As a Ph.D. student at UNM, I am focused on using museum collections to study how freshwater fish respond to changes in their habitats and how these responses vary across time and space. This research centers on desert rivers of the Southwest and the fish species that inhabit them.
Undergraduate Students
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Casandra Manuelito (undergraduate honors student)
Email: [email protected] Casandra is an undergraduate researcher pursuing an honors degree in biochemistry at UNM. She began working in the Turner lab in Spring 2023. For her honors thesis, she is conducting independent research on Desert Pupfish, a once common but now endangered fish found in desert aquatic habitats. Her research explores how well the genetic monitoring plan works for preserving genetic diversity. She also assists on the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow and Bonytail population genomics projects. The picture shows Casandra giving her first conference talk at the Desert Fishes Council Meetings in Grand Junction, Colorado in November 2024, where she won the Robert Rush and Frances Hubbs Miller Award for best undergraduate student presentation. |
Nathaniel Martinez (undergraduate student)
Email: [email protected]
I am an undergraduate student enrolled at the University of New Mexico. I am a biology student and double minoring in chemistry and psychology. I received an Associate of Science degree in pre-science at UNM-Taos while in high school by dual credit enrollment. I aim to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and, eventually, veterinary medicine to earn a DVM. My passion is life and the beauty of it, specifically animals/wildlife and their wellbeing and biological fitness. I am interested in beginning research in the TACL to truly understand the ecology and evolution of Southwestern aquatic life and prepare myself for my future endeavors.
Email: [email protected]
I am an undergraduate student enrolled at the University of New Mexico. I am a biology student and double minoring in chemistry and psychology. I received an Associate of Science degree in pre-science at UNM-Taos while in high school by dual credit enrollment. I aim to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and, eventually, veterinary medicine to earn a DVM. My passion is life and the beauty of it, specifically animals/wildlife and their wellbeing and biological fitness. I am interested in beginning research in the TACL to truly understand the ecology and evolution of Southwestern aquatic life and prepare myself for my future endeavors.
